Self-retaining cuff link



April 1, 1941. F. A. BULLOCK SELF-RETAINING CUFF LINK Filed Jan. 15, 1940 INVENTOR 4 4. MM 1 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1941 SELF-RETAINING CUFF LINK Frederick Bullock, Providence, R. L, assignor to Rhode-Island Dolan & Bullock Company, a corporation of Application January 15, 1940, Serial No. 313,864

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to the jewelry art, and has particular reference to an improvement in the construction of cuff links.

This application is a continuation in part of my Patent No. 2,186,955, entitled Self-retaining cuff links, filed February 17, 1938.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a construction for a cuff link which will retain the cuff link in one cuff end when removed from the other cuif end.

It is another object of my invention to form the retaining means in such manner that interference with insertion or withdrawal of the cuff button from the cuff is minimized.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide a simple construction which does not increase the cost of manufacture.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, illustrating the novel cuff link construction;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the shank;

Fig, 3 is a View similar to Fig, 1, showing the locking engagement of the cuff link, the movable head being in vertical position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a modified construction;

Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 4, the movable parts being in the position shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another modification.

It has been found desirable to construct a cuif link which will readily be insertable through the usual button holes in the cuff ends, and which will not fall out of one cuff end when the other cuff end is detached. I have devised a construction in which I have provided separate means for retaining the cuff linkin one cuff end, this construction being so arranged as not to interfere with the insertion and removal of the cuff link from the cuif ends.

} Referring to the drawing, the novel cuff link I includes a body member I I having two spaced arms I2, I3, a head I4 being mounted at one end of the body member and preferably fixed thereto as by riveting, soldering, or the like, and a second head I being mounted at the other end of the body member between the arms l2, I3, and being selectively movable to positions at right angles to the body member, as illustrated in Fig. 1; any standard form of cam and spring arrangement being utilized for releasably retaining the movable head in selected position. I

When the cuff link is removed from one cuif end, the movable head assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, and the other head, which may be relatively heavy, then exerts a pull on the cuff link which tends to pull the cuff link through the button hole of the other cuff end and thus release the cuff link entirely.

I have therefore formed the two arms I2 and I3 with aligned notches I6 on the side edges thereof, see Fig. 2. A plate I! is fixed between the arms I2 and I3 and having opposite edges provided with cut-out portions I8 adapted to engage the notched portions I6 of the shank arms, see Fig. 1. The other oppositely disposed edges, I9, of the plate Il, are rounded and extend beyond the plane of the shank arms to form abutments which engage with the sides of the button hole in the cuff end, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and prevent accidental or unintentional separation or removal of the cuff link from one cuff end. The plate I! offers only a slight resistance, on the two side edges I9, to the passage of the cuff link parts through the button hole, and yet effectively prevents accidental separation, as explained supra.

If desired, the form illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 may be used, in which a movable member 20 is pivotally mounted between the arms I2 and I3 adjacent the lower end thereof, whereby the movable member 20, which although shown in the form of an oval shell may be of any other form, is swingable to the position shown in Fig. 4 to position the barrier on the other side of first cuff end, thus preventing accidental separation, or is swingable to the position shown in Fig. 5, either by engagement with the movable head, or manually, to readily permit removal of the cuff link from both cuff ends.

A further modification may be used if the button hole or cuff link opening is of narrow length; the arms I21; and 13a, see Fig. 6, may then be shaped to provide re-entrant portions ZI at their lower ends, having transverse widths 22, which serve to engage the inside of the cuff end and thus resist accidental withdrawal or separation of the cuff link from the cuff. This construction does not involve the use of any additional parts, and does not add materially to the cost of manufacture and of assembly. The parts in the described embodiments are preferably of stamped metal.

While I have described specific constructional embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that changes in the size and of the shape of the parts and in the use of difierent materials and metals for the parts having the necessary strength and rigidity, may be made to suit the requirements for difierent cuff link designs, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cuff link, a body member having two spaced arms, a head secured to one end of said member and adapted to engage the outside of a cuff end, and a second head pivotally mounted between the spaced arms at the other end of said member, said arms having means comprising a plate fixed between said arms and spaced from said one end and adapted to engage the inside of a cuff end,

2. In a cufi link, a body member having two spaced arms, a head secured to one end of said member and adapted to engage the outside of a cuff end, a second head pivotally mounted between the spaced arms at the other end of said member, said arms having notches, and a plate having cut away portions engaging the notched portions of said arms and forming laterally extending side edges spaced from said one end and adapted to engage the inside of a cufi end.

FREDERICK A. BULLOCK. 

